Top 10 Kansas City Chiefs Players Going Into the 2026-27 NFL Season

The Chiefs are in an interesting spot coming off a rare down year, having missed the playoffs completely for the first time in over a decade. It's definitely a weird feeling and not a good one. Nobody else has any sympathy for them.

I'm not sure how the Chiefs will look this season with Mahomes coming off a late torn ACL last year. This will definitely be a new-look Chiefs team. I'm expecting a return to the playoffs at least.

We get Eric Bieniemy back as offensive coordinator, and L'Jarius Sneed returns as well. This season should be more enjoyable for Chiefs Kingdom than last year was.

The Top Ten

Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Lavon Mahomes II, born September 17, 1995, is an American football player who is the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He has led the team to five Super Bowl appearances, winning MVP honors for Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII. Mahomes is widely regarded... read more

It couldn't possibly be anyone else. Patrick Mahomes needs no introduction. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he is one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history. His accomplishments speak for themselves. 3 Super Bowl rings, 3 Super Bowl MVPs, 2 League MVPs, 6 Pro Bowls, and the list goes on.
2025 was statistically his worst season, and he still threw for over 3,500 yards. He had 22 touchdowns and 11 picks. He also had 422 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. He did miss the final 3 games of the season with a torn ACL. To be fair, the offensive line was very inconsistent and injured, and Matt Nagy was his offensive coordinator.
Not sure how he'll look coming off a season-ending injury like that, but if anyone can bounce back to normal, it's Patrick Mahomes.
Chris Jones

Chris Jones is one of the most elite defensive players in the league right now. A true dominant force constantly ranking amongst the best interior defensive tackles in the league. He had 7 sacks in 2025 and 12 tackles for loss.
It says a lot when he consistently gets double teamed from opponents. He has 7 straight Pro Bowls, 3 First Team All-Pros, 3 Second Team All-Pros, and 3 Super Bowl rings.
He may be getting up there in age, but he's still proven himself to be a valuable asset and true anchor of the Chiefs defense for years now. He basically is the defense. A true leader who makes any opponent's day a living nightmare.
Creed Humphrey

Creed Humphrey is the top center in the league without a doubt. Entering year 6, he's been elite and a key reason why the Chiefs have been so successful recently. It's hard to find anyone more consistent than Creed.
He's made 4 straight Pro Bowls, and the last two seasons he was a First Team All-Pro. He was the best pass blocking center in the league and second best run blocking center in the league according to PFF. He was the highest graded center overall with an 88.8 grade from PFF.
Kenneth Walker III

The Chiefs desperately needed a true RB1 to elevate the run game, which was a huge problem last season. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt just weren't it. Why not bring in the reigning Super Bowl MVP?
Kenneth Walker immediately upgrades the running back room and takes the pressure off Mahomes having to do everything himself. Walker finished 2025 with 221 rushing attempts, 1,027 yards, and 5 touchdowns. He had another 313 yards and 4 touchdowns in the playoffs.
PFF gave him an 88.4 grade, ranking 2nd best in the league for running backs. Simply put, he should be a dynamic weapon for the offense.
Trey Smith

Last year I completely snubbed Trey Smith from this list, but not this year. Trey Smith has been an outstanding success story for the Chiefs. There's a reason why he signed a lucrative contract with the Chiefs last offseason.
Smith has made back-to-back Pro Bowls. His 75.1 pass blocking grade was 10th best in the league according to PFF. Assuming he stays healthy, I expect him to have an excellent season. The Chiefs will need him at his best to establish the run this season.
Travis Kelce

Travis Michael Kelce is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He has played for the Chiefs since being drafted in 2013. Kelce is considered one of the top tight ends in NFL history and has been selected to multiple Pro Bowls.

Travis Kelce will go down as one of the greatest tight ends of all time when it's all said and done. He needs no introduction with how many accolades he's received in his career. 11 Pro Bowls, 4 First Team All-Pro Teams, 3 Second Team All-Pro Teams, 3 Super Bowl rings. There's no doubt he'll be in the Hall of Fame someday.
Even though he's turning 37 this year, he's still old reliable and clearly has the chemistry built up with Mahomes. Now that he's married to Taylor Swift, you gotta wonder how much longer he's going to play. This year very well could be his last season.
We'll see what happens, but in 2025 he finished with 76 receptions for 851 yards (4th most among all TEs) and 5 touchdowns.
Mansoor Delane

The Chiefs made a trade up to draft Delane at 6th overall in the 2026 NFL draft. This comes after we traded Trent McDuffie away in the offseason. Delane will have high expectations on him to live up to the 6th overall pick as well as filling the void left by McDuffie.
I think there's a lot of potential and a lot to like about this guy. He was First Team All-SEC and a Unanimous All-American in 2025. He was one of the top cornerbacks in the country last season. Can that translate to the NFL though? That's the real question.
Rashee Rice

Rice has shown flashes of potential, but honestly, he really needs to prove himself this coming season. The last couple of seasons he's missed a ton of games due to injury and off-the-field issues.
A string of legal troubles has really tarnished his reputation. He's a complete idiot off the field, but when he is on the field, he's generally decent. Good route runner with decent hands.
Now is his chance to show us what he's got. If he gets injured or in more trouble, I wouldn't be surprised if he's gone.
Josh Simmons

Simmons is a promising young offensive tackle which we desperately need to pan out for us. His rookie season is kinda hard to judge because he missed about half the season, whether it was personal reasons or injuries. When he was on the field, he at least showed flashes of his potential.
The question becomes, can he take that next step in his sophomore season to be a cornerstone for the offensive line? He needs to work on his run blocking skills for sure, as his grade was one of the lowest in the league according to PFF. However, his pass blocking was in the top 25 best in the league.
Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy had a solid rookie season with 638 yards and 6 touchdowns. He showed these flashes of his potential, but then his sophomore season was a bit of a step back. It felt like a lot of things went wrong.
He enters a critical year 3 and most people are expecting him to bounce back, especially considering he was a first round pick. I generally think he's good and should have a bounce back season, but the pressure is kinda on.
He has amazing speed and holds the NFL combine record for the 40-yard dash. I'm hoping he can have his best year yet.